Between 2017 and 2021, Boston's experiments with small skilled guards like Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker fell short.
When Marcus Smart took over the role of point guard, the team was able to turn from a playoff exit into a championship contender.
With the acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon this offseason, key players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Smart have a player they can rely on at both ends of the court.
Brogdon had 25 points on 9-of-10 of shooting (plus seven free throws) on Friday to help lead the Celtics to a 123-119 win over the Bulls. He is now averaging 15 points per game and shooting 37.5 percent from 3 while playing great defense. This gives the Celtics the luxury of being able to rest Brown and Smart, which allows for more fresh legs on the court.
Other sixth men in the league, like Tyler Herro or Anfernee Simons, are great on the offensive side but a liability due to poor defense, which is why they are sixth men instead of starters.
What makes Brogdon unique is that he isn't a liability on the defensive side; he's an asset. When speaking of Brogdon, Tatum said, "Obviously everyone knows he's sacrificing coming off the bench. He'd be starting on most teams in the NBA."
Tatum added: "As the days go on, he gets more and more comfortable in the system and has been what we need him to be."
Brogdon has embraced his role leading the second unit and rotating with the first.
"My job when I'm on the floor when I'm in the game is to keep us organized and to get the ball into JT and JB's hands, and you know, help them create advantages to close the game out," Brogdon said.
Despite the 5-3 record, the Celtics are headed in the right direction with improvement in depth. General manager Brad Stevens was able to determine that short playmaking guards who are liabilities on the defensive end of the court won't win you a championship in Boston. Moving Smart to point guard was a key reason the Celtics reached the NBA Finals.
When you add one of the best defensive players in the league to your roster with Brogdon, to a team with the best defensive rating in the NBA last season to back up the Defensive Player of the Year, good things are bound to happen. While the Celtics haven't been as great defensively this season as they were last year, the potential is there for them to be just as good, and maybe even better when Robert Williams returns.
